SAO: Not all those who wander are lost
by HereticalShinigami
Summary: Not all the strongest players in SAO were on the front lines. Stories abound of a group who remained behind, silent shadows, watchers and warriors, who protect Aincrad and all those who dwell within it. The tale of this guild begins with a fellowship, and a retreat into the shadows. - Told as stories. Multiple OCs, likely no pairings. Spans SAO and ALO.


**A new fic to write, spawned from my love of SAO and LOTR. (and acronyms) Hope you enjoy.**

**Quick reminder: SAO characters names will be swapped for their real names when not in the game. So Kirito/Kazuto, Rika/Lisbeth, Keiko/Silica etc.**

"Why are you here, in the middle of nowhere, watching the horizon? Have you no map?" the swordsman asked the hooded figure.

The figure swivelled round, masked by a dark green cloak, whose hood shadowed his face. A longsword hung over the player's back, and the distinctive bulk of armour could be discerned under the cloak. Although it was impossible to determine the man's features, the swordsman thought he could see a hint of a smile.

"For people like me, it is only out in the wild where we are truly at home," the hooded figure said.

"That's crazy! You can't just live out in the wilderness! Wandering around outside of the towns all the time is a virtual death sentence, there's no safety out here!" the swordsman shouted.

"My guild makes its living doing just that," was the response from the cloaked figure.

Turning towards the nearby woods, the tall man strolled off into the treeline, in a seemingly random direction.

"Not all those who wander are lost, Kirito-kun," he called to the swordsman, before disappearing into the treeline like he was never there.

"Hey! You never told me what you were doing out here!" Kirito shouted, before reading the player's tag, "Oi! Halbarad! Get back here!"

Charging off into the woods in pursuit of the hooded man, Kirito activated his detection skill, only to find that he could find not a trace of the man he was pursuing, and the simulated rustle of the evening trees masked any sound the person could be making. He had vanished, like a ghost in the night.

**April, 2025**

"Good morning class, I'm your new teacher, Hayate Amaya. I hope you're all hyped for today!" a youthful voice echoed around the room.

The class as one glanced up as the owner of the voice strode through the classroom door. The teacher, a man of about 5'8" with a relatively slight build, frowned to himself. He was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and black pants, with black casual shoes. His hair, a shade of brown which almost approached black, was cut neatly, a few stray strands falling across his face. His visage was that of a fairly young man, evidently a relatively new teacher, with sharp features and an aquiline nose, coupled with dark eyes. He looked like he had recently recovered from illness, and had a weary look to his eyes, well masked with an air of enthusiasm that only a professional teacher could master.

What greeted the new teacher was a class of students occupying the majority of seats in the classroom, roughly 30 of them in all. The boys in the room wore blue blazers, white shirts with red ties and matching blue pants, whilst the girls had shorter jackets, skirts, and ribbons instead of ties. Each one of them had a tablet in front of them, linked to the screen where the traditional blackboard would be. The students themselves uttered a collective mumble that sounded vaguely like 'Good morning'. Clearly, they were not too pleased to be in school, a sentiment shared by students everywhere.

Deciding that the best way into learning was to wake his students up, Hayate slammed his hands down on his desk.

"I hope you're ready to learn! We have a lot to catch up on! You students have missed two years' worth of study, and I plan to make that good really quickly. So, rather than have a nice relaxed first day, where I get to know you and you get to know me, we are going to launch straight into mathematics! Let's start with some differentiation!" he exclaimed, bringing the board online.

After about an hour of high level maths, most of the class were looking quite bored. Apparently, teaching a lesson of hard mathematics to a class on your first day in charge was not the way to engender enthusiasm in your class. Regardless, the new teacher's style was fairly fluid and easy to follow, meaning that the class was not struggling with the techniques.

Only one student was not paying any attention to the problems he was presented with. Sat on the 3rd row, next to the windows, Kazuto was only watching the teacher himself as he lectured. Something was a little off about him, Kazuto had decided. He had started teaching very slowly, almost as if he was remembering how to do the work himself, and had misfired several times before correcting his teaching method. The other issue was his age. Almost all the teachers at the SAO survivor school were ex-retired, older academics, but Hayate could scarce have been thirty. What was he doing teaching at this school, which was designed to get the survivors of Sword Art Online up to speed academically? He could have a far easier job at any other school.

"Mr Kirigaya? Are you having trouble with these problems?" Hayate asked from right next to Kazuto, causing the black-haired student to nearly jump out of his seat.

Regaining some semblance of control, realising that he had started daydreaming while he was thinking these conundrums over, Kazuto shook his head.

"Nu-uh," he replied, showing Hayate a set of answers on his tablet, which the teacher quickly flicked through, rubbing his chin while he did so.

"Well, you've answered most of them correctly," the tutor mused, "But you need to show more working. Your mental arithmetic is pretty good, but it can only get you so far. You'll need it when we move onto even harder stuff."

The teacher passed the tablet back to Kazuto, and turned round to regard the rest of his class.

"Hmph," Kazuto responded, "Not like my opponents would want to see my working in battle," he muttered under his breath.

"I suppose that's true," Hayate said, glancing back at Kazuto, "But sadly I'm a little more merciless than the mobs in SAO. Integration will make your famous fight with Akihiko Kayaba look like a walk in the park. Workings out are important, Mr Kirigaya."

Leaving Kazuto to carry on working, the new teacher wandered round the class, helping his students, and once they were finished with the problems, he moved them on to a different topic, seeing that an hour and a half, the standard lesson length, had elapsed, meaning they should move onto a different lesson. The next lesson Ayama had planned was history, his favourite subject, which he dived into with enthusiasm.

Paying little attention as Hayate hashed out the background to the Second World War, using a ruler to point to specific areas on the board, on which he had pulled up a map, Kazuto began to pass notes to Rika, who was seated on the front row, on the opposite side of the room.

_What do you think of this guy? – K_

_He's a decent teacher, but he seems a little on edge. Also, it's like he's not taught for ages, and can't remember some of the basics, even though he looks like he just got his teaching licence – R. x_

_I agree. There's something off, his smiles are a little bit too forced, almost like he's acting. – K_

_Maybe it's his first job and he's just nervous. I mean, he is teaching people who just got out of a death game. – R. x_

_But why would he take his first job here then? That seems just unnecessary trouble. – K_

As another note from Rika was about to reach Kirito, the student next to him passing the note toward him, a ruler snatched the note out of the pupil's hand, sending the note and the ruler clattering to the floor. The class traced the trajectory of the airborne stationery back to the hand of Hayate, who was stood at the front, his hands in his pockets.

"So, Mr Kirigaya, care to tell me what you and your friends were discussing, or shall I just read all these notes aloud?" he asked, strolling over to pick his ruler up from the floor.

"Erm, we were discussing you," Kazuto said honestly.

An inquisitive eyebrow went up at this comment, and Hayate leaned back onto his desk.

"Elaborate."

"You're a lot younger than the rest of the teachers, and you seem to be a little on edge," Rika chimed in.

"Plus, you just threw a ruler with pinpoint accuracy to hit a note out of a person's hand," Kazuto finished.

A hint of a smile crossed the teacher's face. He folded his arms, and adopted an expression that gave of the air that he was remembering things.

"Well," he replied, "This school was the first opportunity for a job I got, and I took it because I need the money. The desperate demand for teachers got me a decent contract here. I've never taught before now, so I was worried I wouldn't be very good, and as for the ruler thing, my old teacher, Miss Ochi, taught me how to do it. She always aimed for the student though. I probably still have the bruises."

The class giggled.

"Right! So we have about fifteen minutes left before lunchtime, so I'll just go over the Lausanne treaty, and then you can go get your lunch," Hayate declared, beaming at his students.

'More fake smiles,' Kazuto thought, 'He's still hiding something.'

The remaining time in class went without a hitch, and when the bell rang for lunchtime, the students filed out, heading for the canteen. As Rika and Kazuto left the classroom, they met Keiko and Asuna in the canteen, which as expected was packed with students, and retired to a table in the centre of the room. Keiko was intrigued by what her friends told her about their new teacher.

"Well, my teacher's pretty nice. She'd retired a couple of years ago, and came back when they needed to set this school up on short notice. We spent the morning going through some really basic stuff, and it was soooo boring. Your teacher sounds more fun though," she remarked.

"My teacher doesn't seem out of the ordinary, he's just a bit grumpy. At least you got someone interesting teaching you," grumbled Asuna.

"I don't know. He just doesn't seem genuine to me, and he talked to me like he knew me," Kazuto said, taking a hefty bite out of his sandwich, which Asuna had made for him.

"You're probably over-thinking it, as usual, Kazuto-kun," Asuna said, "Barring him hurling a ruler at you, he seems like a pretty normal teacher. Unless…."

"Go on," Rika prompted.

"Nah! I'll just leave you to figure it out," Asuna grinned.

"Aww that's just mean Asuna-chan. How are we gonna find out now?" Keiko pouted.

"Why don't you go and ask him? I mean, from your description, it's that guy eating outside at that bench." Asuna pointed out.

Glancing towards the windows, Kazuto realised that his girlfriend was right. Sat on a bench outside flicking through a book, was their teacher, absently eating his lunch. Kazuto wolfed his sandwich down, a waste of a fine example of the sandwich-maker's art, and headed outside quickly to talk to his teacher.

"Excuse me, Ayama-sensei," Kazuto said, waiting for the teacher to respond.

Hayate slowly placed his book down and glanced in Kazuto's direction. A moment after he glanced in the direction of his student, a spark of recognition crossed his face, and his professional face was firmly set back in place, a friendly smile topping it all.

"Ah Mr Kirigaya! Sit down, you look like want to talk to me," Hayate said, motioning to a seat next to him.

Kazuto shuffled to sit on the bench next to the older man.

"How can I help you?" the teacher asked, giving what he evidently hoped was a friendly smile.

"Well, can I ask you a question? It might be a little personal," Kirito asked, a little cautious of offending the man responsible for his tuition.

"I thought I satisfied your curiosity in class, but feel free," the teacher replied, a look of confusion flitting across his features.

"I don't want to accuse you of anything, Ayama-sensei, but I don't think you were honest with us in class. I've heard your voice somewhere before, but I'm certain we've never met. It's impossible that you were taught to do that trick with the ruler, and finally, you're always tense. Your eyes are always flitting around, and you seem on constant alert for danger, which suggests combat stress. You don't look like a former soldier, which leaves one possibility. Ayama-sensei, you were a player in SAO, weren't you?" Kazuto concluded.

"Yes. I was," came the quiet reply.

Kazuto, whose eyes had been wandering elsewhere during the brief conversation, glanced back at his teacher. The man before him was not the same person who had been tutoring them earlier that day. This was a different man. His eyes were hollow. His welcoming smile was replaced with a bitter smirk, his open posture replaced with a closed one. He was looking at his shoes, until his head snapped up and around, staring into the trees behind him.

"You can come out now," Hayate said, entirely lacking that welcoming façade he used while teaching.

Keiko, Rika and Asuna filed out of the foliage, Rika with a sheepish expression on her face.

"You dummy, it was your sneezing that gave us away," Keiko told Rika.

"Actually, it was you two bickering, no matter how quiet you tried to be," Hayate interjected, "So I'm guessing you heard that conversation, right?"

A nod from all three girls.

"Then I guess my secret's out," Hayate said, collapsing backward onto the bench, a look of pure defeat crossing his features.

"Don't worry, Ayama-sensei, we'll keep it quiet," Asuna comforted, a devious grin materialising on her face, "But only if you spill a little more about yourself."

"I never thought you were so devious Asuna," Hayate replied, a little grin coming to his face too.

"Hold on. How do you know my name?"

"I was an SAO player," the teacher explained "It's hard not to recognise the Lightning Flash, Asuna Yuuki, the second in command of the Knights of the Blood Oath. We met at a couple of strategy meetings, too, but I doubt you'd remember me. However, you," Hayate said, pointing at Keiko, "I don't believe we've met. Rika's in my class, but you are not, young miss. Might I know your name?"

"Keiko, Ayama-sensei."

"Right. Now I know your names at least, but Hayate-sensei will do, no need to be super-formal. Anyway Miss Yuuki, I'll tell you some things about my time in SAO, but I hope you're not squeamish," Hayate cautioned, "Some of this is not quite fairy-tale material, and I don't need my students feeling ill in class."

"Oh please," Kazuto smirked, "You know that we were all in that game too. It wasn't nice for any of us, so just tell us already. We already promised we wouldn't tell anyone."

Hayate rounded on him, a cold expression on the teacher's face.

"It's fairly easy for you to say that, Mr Kirigaya, because you're the hero that everyone talks about, the man who broke us out of SAO. I wasn't, and some of the things I've done I'm not proud of, so forgive my reticence in sharing this story."

Kazuto gave him a strangely understanding look, which baffled the teacher.

"Look, I won't judge you, and I don't think the girls will either." Nods of affirmation from the girls. "So, go on, you can tell us."

Hayate hung his head in resignation.

"Fine. I'm 29 years of age, name Hayate Ayama. Before I was trapped in SAO with the rest of you, I had just completed my teacher training, and was looking for a job. Obviously, getting trapped in a video game for two years prevented that happening, and so immediately after getting out, I had a lot of problems getting employment. Fortunately, the government set this school up, and because I was both an SAO player and a fully qualified teacher, they offered me a job, partially so they could keep an eye on me. I didn't really want to tell anyone that I was in SAO because I didn't want people treating me differently, so I tried to hide it."

"Why bother? You're in good company here," Kazuto asserted.

The teacher gave the black-haired swordsman a grateful look.

"That's reassuring. Anyway, before I bore you to death with my actual life, I'd better tell you something about my SAO self. Initially, I logged onto SAO with a group of eight friends, two of whom were beta testers, and we formed a group which we called 'The Fellowship'. If you didn't grasp it, it's a Lord of the Rings reference."

Kazuto, Rika and Keiko were looking puzzled by this point. Asuna face-palmed, before smacking Kazuto on the back of the head.

"It's a classic series of novels you philistine! They made them into films a couple of decades ago."

"Uh, definitely wouldn't watch them then. They'd look all dated and old, you'd be able to pick apart the effects they used for it really easily," Kirito complained.

Their teacher sighed, and resisted the urge to berate Kazuto.

"Regardless, in its basic form, it's an epic fantasy, and the main protagonists form a group of nine to go on a quest, hence our name. We were all fans, so we went for it, hoping to make our own epic adventures. I was one of the guild's primary swordsmen. Then things went downhill."

"Kayaba," Kazuto spat.

"Yeah. We were caught a little flat-footed by his declaration, but our guild leader wasn't fazed. He declared that our goal was then to beat the game, for all the free people of Aincrad. I was a little more cynical, but we did ok. Sometime later, as we were progressing as a small clearing guild, we were forced to disband, and created a new guild. We stopped adventuring, because we had a new purpose. And for that purpose, our guild became wanderers."

**Here's a short set-up for a little idea I got into my head for a guild in SAO. Hope you liked it. Don't know when I'll carry this on, so don't hold your breath. My other fic is my main priority for now.**


End file.
